Do You Love Me?
by King in Yellow
Summary: Why do you love me? A simple question which suggests our partner needs some reassurance... So why do we feel so threatened when it's asked? Have we failed somehow? Independent chapters set in the Best Enemies series. Bonnie-Ron, Monique-Will, Shego-Kim, James-Anne, Jim-Zita, Wade-Joss, Justine-Felix, Josh-Tara, Ron-Bonnie, Will-Monique, and finishing up with Kim asking Shego.
1. Bonnie Asks Ron

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Time setting in BE series... a year or two after Ron and Bonnie's marriage. She's still working in a daytime soap opera.

**Bonnie Asks Ron**

The alarm rang, but neither occupant seemed in a hurry to get out of bed and face the day. Bonnie propped herself up on an elbow and demanded, "Why do you love me?"

"Your ass."

"Ron! I'm serious!"

"Okay, your boobs."

She shoved him towards the edge of the bed, "If I killed you right now, and got an all woman jury, they'd call it justifiable homicide."

He laughed and pulled her into a warm embrace. "In junior high and high school I think I lusted for you... Heck, in high school I pretty much lusted after every girl."

"Guys are jerks."

"Yeah."

"Some of them grow out of it."

"Yeah, I... Hey, are you saying I didn't?"

"If the shoe fits... Your wife asks you why you love her and you tell her it's for her T &amp; A? Come on, I treated you like dirt before college."

"And that made you utterly unattainable, and therefore utterly desirable. We want what we can't have. Ron Stoppable have a chance with Bonnie Rockwaller? No way! You were my object of ultimate desire because you wouldn't give me the time of day."

"That's still lust," she pouted. "Do you love me."

"This is from some musical, isn't it?"

"Fiddler on the Roof. You're Jewish, you should know it. And don't change the subject. Do you love me?" In the back of her mind was the perennial small nagging voice of fear, the reminder of his love for Yori.

"Of course I love you."

"Why? I treated you like dirt."

He snorted, "Well, that isn't why I fell in love with you." He paused for a minute. "I can't say when it started... Maybe when you and Kim were roommates in the dorm. It wasn't just lust then. I don't know if it was love yet, but you became a real person to me... I... I guess I understood you better, hearing how your sisters treated you – telling you that you were dumb and ugly, it was like you needed to prove yourself... We've talked about this before. It's why you hated Kim, she beat you at everything and–"

"She didn't beat me at everything!"

"She–"

"I got you, didn't I?"

"Getting me was a victory?"

"Damn straight," she assured him. "Yeah, the Kim thing again. I wanted to prove my sisters were wrong, and Kim always beat me. It was like she was rubbing my nose in what Connie and Lonnie said about me – she didn't realize how it hurt me."

Ron laughed and gave his wife another hug and kiss. "You're wonderful. You were a riddle wrapped up in a... I forget what. Confident on the outside, insecure on the inside. Tough exterior and a tender heart. Like, the riddle of sweet and salty, or smooth and crunchy at the same time."

"Is everything a food analogy for you?"

"Occupational hazard. Should I go back to listing why you're wonderful?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

"You're smart, and funny, and loyal. Is that enough?"

"That's all?"

"No, it's not all... We're supposed to work today and listing everything would keep us in bed all day."

She hugged Ron. "I could live with that."

He put his arms around her. "Sounds good to me."

"But we have jobs," she sighed.

"Screw work," he told her, one hand drifting down her back to massage her rear.

"There are much better things to screw," she agreed, "but we need to get to work. Can you hold that thought until tonight?"

"I'd rather hold your ass."

"That's lust again. The topic on the table is 'do you love me?'."

"We're not on the table, we're in bed. You said the table was uncomfortable, remember? Where... Oh yeah, college. I started seeing you as a real person. Beautiful inside as well as out. You were still out of my league... When I found out you liked me I couldn't believe it."

Bonnie giggled, "You couldn't believe it. Is that why you got a little crazy with Alan that time?"

"More than once. He was, like, Prince Charming and I was a toad."

Bonnie leaned over and kissed her husband on the nose, "The spell is broken, and you are now revealed as my knight in shining armor."

"Or cotton pajamas, as the case may be."

"Wait, loyal? Loyal makes the top three? Dogs are loyal."

"I didn't say it was the whole list! I could say more... I just... I..."

"You're trying to say you've never been great with words?"

"Exactly."

"You express your love through deeds?"

"Exactly," he pulled her close, his lips going for hers.

She put a hand over his mouth, blocking the kiss. "Like when you cook for me?"

"Yeah," he mumbled behind her hand.

"How about a really spectacular dinner this Friday?" She took away the hand.

Ron grinned, "Super spectacular to show you how much I love you? And then, right after dinner, we can come back to the bedroom and I'll show you more?"

"But not right after dinner."

"Ah, why not?"

"It would be rude to our guests."

"Guests?"

"The Bowmans and that new couple at the synagogue, the Kerbers."

"Ah man, why do we have to have company? You want me to show you how much I love you with a seductive dinner, and then you want to invite guests?"

Bonnie giggled, "Ron, I want everyone to see how much you love me."


	2. Monique Asks Will

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Time in B.E. series: Monique and Will have been married around ten years.

**Monique Asks Will**

Monique poured sangria into two ice-filled glasses and returned the pitcher to the refrigerator before going onto the back porch of the summer cottage. For a couple minutes she stared out at Will playing with their sons and smiled. Her husband still had trouble with social cues, and body language was Sanskrit to him, but he was a wonderful father. Monique wished Kim could see him like this – or that Will could appreciate Kim's abilities. Sometimes Monique felt caught in the middle, with Will complaining of Kim's recklessness or Kim calling to complain about Will's nit-picking micro-management. She sighed and called, "Will!"

Her husband turned his head and she held up a glass. "David, Louis, will you two be all right?"

"Sure."

"The house is right there Dad."

Will jogged back to the porch and accepted the sangria. Monique put an arm around his waist and pulled him close as they watched the boys. "They're good kids," he remarked.

She corrected him, "They're great kids."

"You're complimenting yourself."

"How so, Sherlock?"

"By underlining what an incredible mother you are. You are, but it sounds self-congratulatory to point out your own virtues."

She smiled, "So, you don't deserve any credit?"

"As you have, on occasion, told me they would have been spoiled brats under my influence."

"Well, sometimes I say you might have been a drill sergeant."

"Your spoiled assessment is more likely accurate, in a house full of servants."

Monique laughed, "They'd be tripping over each other in our place."

"It still seems unnatural to me not to have servants."

"It took me years to get used to a cleaning lady."

"But now that you are... a cook?"

"Something wrong with my cooking?"

"No! I... I thought a personal chef a couple days a week might relieve you of some stress."

"One of the reasons we don't have servants is so the boys will do chores and learn responsibility. I'm not ducking my responsibilities. Besides, it might get the boys curious about how much money you have."

"We have. Does it matter?"

"They'll learn soon enough – like how much a summer cottage on the Cape is worth. I swear, I don't know how much you have socked away."

"We have," he repeated. "I could check with our accountant if you're curious."

"That's okay." A few seconds later she remembered, "Barb and Ken's after church on Sunday. Alexis has a piano recital."

"Alexis seems to have turned out well, despite the servants."

Monique changed the subject, from Will's older sister to her own family. "I'm going to spend an extra day or two in Middleton before school starts. Sure you can't come with us? Global Justice can survive without you."

"Are you sure," he laughed, "Kim might–" Although not great at picking up cues from others he knew Monique well enough to interpret her frown and closed his mouth.

"I wish the two of you could appreciate that you're both great. You're just great in different ways. And you'd stop seeing life as a contest to see who's better."

"I will attempt to modify my perspective, and to come to Middleton for at least part of your visit."

"Could have just said 'I'll try'. And good, Mom likes you... Oh, be there for Saturday night. Maybe we can get the gang together for poker."

He nodded in agreement. "Any other news from Barb?"

"I... Your cousin Alison is getting divorced, again"

"Sorry to hear that."

"And we're still together. Alison predicted we'd last a year. A lot of your family didn't think we'd last four. Barb bet we'd stay together. Said you were too stubborn to ever admit a mistake."

"She thought our marriage was a mistake?"

"No, she thinks you found the perfect woman. And if you wouldn't admit a mistake you wouldn't second guess yourself when you're right."

"My sister knows us."

"I like her," Monique agreed. They stared silently at their sons for a minute. "Will... the idea our marriage might be a mistake... I..."

"You don't think it's a mistake, do you?" he asked, a note of concern obvious in his tone.

"No! It's just sometimes... I'm the first girl you really dated. The first girl you kissed. I know that intellectually," she tapped his forehead, "you think you love me, but..."

He put his glass down on the porch railing and took her in his arms. "You don't believe there's love in my heart, as well as my head?"

"I do. Maybe I'm being silly. I wonder if you'd met some other girl… Do you love me, or just not know any better?"

He smiled, "Did you know Barb used to read to me?"

"No, what does that—"

"Well, she did. She read me fairy tales. There was always a beautiful girl, and she met the man of her dreams, and they fell deeply in love. They hadn't dated other people, but they knew – as soon as they met – that they were destined for one another. Their love for one another was eternal."

"Those were fairy tales."

"They shaped my view of love. And when I met you I realized you were my happily ever after."

"I'm your happily ever after?"

"You are."

Louis looked over toward the cottage. "Mommy and Daddy are kissing," he told his older brother.

David glanced over and went back to his sand castle, "Mommies and Daddies do that."

"Alexis told me that makes babies happen."


	3. Shego Asks Kim

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

BE series time: around The Other Path

**Shego Asks Kim**

Shego handed Kim a cup of herbal tea and joined her on the couch. "Twins down for the night?"

"Should be. I read a chapter of The Magic of Oz. Are they old enough we don't need bedtime stories?"

The green woman shrugged, "Maybe. But my dad read Oz to us and I enjoy hearing them again."

"And I enjoy hearing them for the first time, but we're almost done with the originals."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Kim could sense her partner's unease. Finally Shego sighed, "Kim... I'm scared."

Kim replied, "Kind of unusual," after a pause.

"No, I'm scared a lot, it's just–"

"What's unusual is you admitting it. You usually just deny it." Shego smiled at Kim's observation. "Amy's offer... That's a huge decision. Seems like some days you're 'YES!' and other days you're 'NO!'. Can you live in the harness that long?"

"If I decide to go for a baby I'll wear it. I'm damn near as stubborn as you."

"Worse."

"No, you are." Kim took a sip of tea and didn't say anything. Shego also sipped her tea, then asked. "I still can't believe you went to DNAmy so we could have the twins. That was just stupid."

"They are beautiful girls."

"They are, but it was still stupid to trust DNAmy."

"What can I say? I was crazy in love at the time and afraid you were going to die. I wasn't thinking clearly. No one else had the skill and lack of ethics to try."

Another minute of silently sipping tea. "Okay, this may sound bad," warned Shego. "How often have you regretted having Kasy and Sheki?"

Kim's brow furrowed, "I didn't think there'd be a test... I don't know... There were a bunch of times while I was pregnant, when I worried what Amy might have done. Delivery? I thought having babies was the worst idea in the world. After they were born... Some of those early nights in the sleep deprivation period... I'm so glad Bonnie was here. Now that they're small human beings I have no regrets."

"Teen years are still ahead."

"True, but they're out of warranty now, we have to keep them."

"How often have you regretted me?"

"Regretted you?"

"Regretted falling in love with me. I feel like I messed up your life in so many ways."

"No you–"

"Earth to Kim! Wanted criminal! Enemy! I messed things up with your parents, with Global Justice. Your crazy love caused you to get pregnant, and I love the girls too, but don't tell me that didn't screw up your college plans and other shit."

"And my parents now love you. Global Justice has no problems unless I give you secret documents."

"No problems?"

"No problems. You're not a criminal and–"

"I'm a convicted felon."

"On probation. We're happily married with a loving family. No regrets."

"Sure," Shego snorted. "Kim Possible, girl hero, thought falling in love with her enemy was a good idea?"

"Okay... No. But that doesn't mean regrets!"

"Kim, your life is a series of bad choices. Teen-age crime fighter–"

"Not a mistake."

"Yes it was! It was dangerous. But falling in love with me was easily the dumbest thing you ever did. How in the hell could you fall in love with me?"

"Don't make me regret it now," Kim teased.

Shego's voice lost the playful tone, "Seriously Kim, why do you love me?"

Kim sipped tea quietly for a minute and tried to organize her feelings. "Never tried to analyze it... I mean, not like I made a conscious decision to fall in love with you, it just kind of happened. But I think it was because you put no pressure on me."

"No pressure? All our fights? I might have killed you in our early fights."

"That wasn't pressure... You have any idea what it's like to have a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon for parents, and brothers who're geniuses?"

"Mom and dad are normal... I think my brothers are sub-normal."

"I had to be good at everything. They didn't tell me that, I just... And when the hero stuff started? I got praised and so had to keep doing it."

"You're like Bonnie, only she was trying to prove her sisters wrong. You did it to yourself."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"But it doesn't explain me. Ron didn't pressure you."

"No, not directly. It's part of why I needed him, he grounded me. But he shared the big social expectations. I'd meet the perfect guy, marry him, and stay at home to raise the kids. I tried to find the right guy, because people expected it. Ron even tried to help, bless his heart. You were honest with me."

"And Ron wasn't?"

"Okay, Ron is honest. But an adult conversation with Ron? You treated me like an adult. You didn't give a darn about what society wanted. You asked me about how _I_ felt, what _I_ wanted. I finally woke up to the fact I didn't want the guy society expected for me, I wanted you. You gave me the freedom to be honest with myself. I can love a woman, I can work for Global Justice. I can be me."

"Even if I don't like you working for GJ and say marrying me was a mistake?"

Kim shrugged, "You may second guess me, but you love me – and I love you."

"You are crazy."

"Well, maybe... I married you."


	4. James Asks Anne

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Setting: Six or seven years after Best Enemies.

**James Asks Anne**

James looked around the table at family and friends there for the twenty-fifth anniversary party. While waiting for the waiter to bring out dessert Kim leaned over and asked, "Dad, I'm going to Poland for a Global Justice conference next month. Can you and mom help Shego with the twins?"

"When are you leaving?"

"The fourteenth."

"Sorry, Kimmie-cub, but the Possible grandparent's babysitting service will be closed."

"What?"

Anne answered "Temporarily. Your dad and I will be in Italy – biking in Tuscany, then sightseeing in Rome and Florence."

"When did you– Why didn't you tell us?" Kim asked.

"You're all grown now and out on your own. Your Dad and I wanted to do this and decided to go for it. Max Jones, at the hospital, told me how much fun he had with his wife, and if that walrus could survive a week of biking we can too."

* * *

On the drive back from the Astor Anne commented. "I'm glad Joss and Bego came back."

"I'm a little surprised they're not staying with us."

"Kim and Sharon have a lot more room in their place."

"True, and we need to adjust to our new life-style. We've had kids around the house for a long time. It's finally just the two of us, seeing if we can stand each other after all these years. I need to warn you, I may not be the man you married."

"Good. I married a nerd whose idea of a good time was watching bad SF on television with his buddies and drinking cheap beer."

He laughed at the picture, "So why did you marry me?"

"Because I loved you."

"Why?"

"You had potential. I just needed to get you away from Drew, Bob, and Lakshman. And you've matured well, like a good wine or cheddar."

"So, you think you can live with me, just the two of us?"

"I imagine so. And you?"

"You are as beautiful today as you were twenty-five years ago."

"Flatterer."

He turned serious. "It was so good to have family there... I... I wish your parents were..."

"So do I. Every anniversary I remember. Dad swore never speak to me again if I married you. I don't know which would be the bigger problem for him, breaking that threat or having to admit his biggest argument against marrying you was a mistake – I'd never finish medical school if I married you."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I, but it's his loss. And mom's."

"You said you started sending her Christmas and birthday cards a couple years ago, after Shego bent Kim's arm and took the twins out. Do you ever hear back?"

"No... She'll always do what my dad tells her – and he cut us off. So she won't write."

James didn't even consider making a joke about a wife who knew she was supposed to obey her husband. "I'm glad you speak your mind. Wish they'd get on the Internet."

"So do I. Don't know if they feel too old or he's afraid she'll look us up on Facebook. Assuming they've heard of Facebook."

"How can one avoid it?"

"True."

They turned the conversation from Anne's parents to the anniversary dinner party for the rest of the ride.

James flipped on the light switch as they entered the house. "Just you and me, babe. No more Joss or Bego saying they need to pick up something for some class at school."

"No more police asking where Jim and Tim were the night before, and what do we know about an explosion at two in the morning."

"Or Kim asking if she can stay up late to save the world."

"And no more of your oddly prophetic warning, 'No boys'."

"What can I say? Oddly prophetic seems appropriate."

"And suspicious."

"Um, before you break out the bright lights and rubber hoses for the interrogation let me get something from the desk."

"James T. Possible, you are changing the subject."

"I certainly hope so," he called over his shoulder as he headed for the den. He was back a few minutes later with a small box. "I know we said the Italy trip was our anniversary present to each other but..." He handed her the box.

"James... It's... I'll bet you spent as much on this as the Italy trip. It's a real Rolex, isn't it."

"Absolutely. Vintage."

"I've never had a watch worth stealing before."

"You don't like–"

"I love it!" she laughed and punctuated her words by throwing her arms around him and giving him a deep kiss. "This is so... I feel bad. I got something for you too... But this is so expensive!"

"Don't worry about it. I have everything I need."

"And too many things you don't. When are you going to throw out that old pair of khaki chinos?"

"They're for gardening! Or working on the car!"

"Well stop wearing them in public."

"Did you buy me new chinos?"

"No."

"What did you get me?"

"Not this minute. Not right after you've given me an expensive watch."

The dinner had gone late, and the two headed for the bedroom after the evening news.

"James?" she called from the bathroom.

"Yes?"

"Now." She stood in the doorway, a short and very sheer black nightie accenting her body more than covering it. "Do you like it?"

"More beautiful," he managed to croak.

Forty minutes later, in each other's arms,_"I've still got it,"_ he thought.

Anne smiled, _"I've still got it."_


	5. Jim Asks Zita

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

**Jim Asks Zita  
**

"You have to marry me," Jim told Zita.

"I do not _have_ to marry you," she retorted.

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

"You love me, don't you?"

"Damn it, Jim, you know I love you."

Jim giggled inappropriately, "Sorry, just imagining Dr. McCoy saying that to Captain Kirk."

"So we can change the subject?"

"No, we can't change the subject. You love me. While my understanding is that it is not a prerequisite for marriage I consider it a damn fine start."

"Please... not now."

"Yes, now. I've been asking you to marry me for months, maybe years. Please Zita... I knew you've got issues because of your abusive ex." ('Ex' was all Jim was allowed to say, Zita didn't even want his name mentioned.) "That was why you asked me to move in with you – so you could throw me out if you wanted. Well, you haven't thrown me out. Now is the time to get married and get _our_ place."

"I just don't know if I'm ready."

"It's that damn Catholic upbringing again, isn't it?"

"Don't say damn Catholic, please."

"Wasn't there a Cardinal who said you were as evil as a murderer for getting a divorce? Isn't a Cardinal one step down from the Pope?"

"Actually he said a divorced person was worse."

"Worse, really?"

"Well, a murderer can make confession and receive the host, a divorced person can't."

"So you're still supposed to go back to a man who abused you? Hey, I offered to run him over with the truck and make an honest widow of you."

"I don't even want that bastard's blood dirtying your tires," Zita spat.

"So marry me. My church thinks a divorced person can be a good Christian. Hell, we can get a judge if you want... We can fly to Vegas tomorrow for a drive-thru wedding."

"A drive-thru wedding? You want a drive-thru wedding?"

"No I don't. But I want my ring on your finger – and I'll do anything to get it there."

"Do anything... Like how you took advantage of me our first time, when I had too much champagne and you thought a divorced woman would be desperate for sex?"

"Hey, I'd been asking you out for weeks, and you'd been saying 'no'. You drank too much at Ron's wedding just so you could say 'yes'. Don't give me that 'you took advantage of me' line."

"Are you sure I wanted _you_ to take me home?"

"I'm sure."

Zita chuckled, "We deserve each other, don't we?"

"That's what I've been telling you. Please, you haven't been to church in years."

"Jim... It's... When you're raised that the priest speaks for God, that you have to do what he says... It... It still hurts to be denied the Eucharist. In my mind I can see all the problems. I know the pedophilia and the coverups, but inside it's still how I was raised."

"How about the way I was raised? Any compassion for the way I was raised?"

"You Methodists believe something?"

"Hey, if I can't say damn Catholics – even though you're not practicing anything – a little respect for the Methodists."

"So how were you raised?"

"That if a man and woman love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together then they ought to make it official and get married." She appeared to be thinking. Jim put his arms around her. "Please Zita, what were you told two people were supposed to do if they're in love?"

"They're supposed to get married," she whispered

"Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"So...?"

"Okay, I'll marry you."

He kissed her tenderly. "Your choice – Vegas, judge, Methodist minister at the church or here?"

"We can use your Methodist priest, my church already says I'm worse than a murderer... But not that associate at your church."

"Reverend Cooke? Why not Reverend Cooke?"

"It would just be too weird to have a woman priest. You said my choice."

"So women can't be ministers?"

"No."

"But they can be CFOs of big companies?"

"Do you want to marry me or not? You said my choice."

"Sorry. Your choice. License tomorrow?"

"I've got a lot on my desk."

"We'll take a long lunch hour."

"Okay."

"And can I tell my folks the news now?"

"What news?"

"The wedding."

"Fine."

"But not the other?"

"Not yet."

"Well, we're still going to beat Kim and Shego. They waited a year after the twins were born before they got married."

"That's what this is about, beating Kim and Shego?"

"Of course not. And if you'd accepted my first proposal, or my second, or the twentieth, we wouldn't have to worry about people counting months."

"You worry about people counting months?"

"A little," Jim admitted. "I want us to be a married couple when my son is born."

"Sure it will be your son?"

"You haven't been with anyone else," he said confidently.

"We will have a daughter."

"You sure? Did the doctor tell you that?"

"I feel it in my heart. A daughter, a beautiful girl with dark eyes and black hair. And our hearts will ache as we watch her grow up because we know that no one can love her as much as we do, or as much as she deserves."

"Does your crystal ball say we'll stop arguing?"

"No, we keep arguing... Because we enjoy making up afterward."

* * *

Was anyone curious about a name in chapter 2 of **Time Cops: Of Mice and Lemurs**?


	6. Wade and Joss

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Time: see chapter 17 in **Three Weddings and a Funeral**

**Wade and Joss**

The August sun beat down as Joss and Wade rode the robotic horses out to give the city boy a view of pronghorns on the range.

"Careful," Joss warned, "they got more monitoring equipment than horses, but they still got no brains and could step in a prairie dog hole."

"Walking back to the ranch sounds good," he grumbled, "I'm going to be too sore for our second honeymoon if we ride farther."

"Just about there... First honeymoon in Vermont was good. Where ya takin' me for the second?"

"It'll be a surprise."

A few minutes later she told him, "Stop here. Great view. Funny or weird, Daddy wouldn't let me marry you, now we're having two weddins in four months?"

"Weird. Still not sure your dad likes me, and I think he really hates the fact I asked Drakken to be best man."

"Daddy's tryin'. New ideas are kinda hard for him. And he really doesn't like Drakken from somethin' he an Miss Shego tried to pull a few years ago. He's doin' great with Bego now, ya see that don't ya?"

"Yes, and I'm glad for her. He really thought she was like the horses here – all programming and no real personality?"

"Yep."

"He should have tried talking with her."

"Told ya, daddy and new ideas don't mix. Least he's tryin' now."

They watched as a wary group of pronghorns crossed the open range.

"Joss?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell are we doing?"

"Watchin' the–"

"Getting married twice in four months."

"We love each other."

"But I... I did things that–"

"And I've done stuff too, stuff I'm ashamed of. We're puttin' all that behind us an startin' fresh. We're not mentionin' any of that or rememberin' it."

"I can forget what you... But I can't forget what I did."

"Well ya can dang well try, Mister Load... Know what ya mean though. I can forget what ya... I mean, I was part of it... But I was just stupid when..."

"We're forgetting, remember?"

Joss chuckled.

"I wonder if we had the same problem," Wade mused, "head smart, but socially backward? I mean, I was doing college work at seven and you were out here in the middle to nowhere. It was hard for both of us to meet people we could relate to... Is this a mistake?"

"Mistake? Don't go talkin' nonsense. We eloped in May and we're gettin' hitched again this Saturday. You try backin' out now and ya won't have to worry about daddy – I'll tack your hide up on the barn myself. We love each other, right?"

"Right," he agreed and leaned over to kiss her – and fell off the mechanical horse.

* * *

"I still can't believe they're making you sleep in the bunk house with us," Tim commented as they dressed for the wedding Saturday morning.

"Peace with the mother-in-law," Wade reminded him. "They're pretending we didn't elope and aren't married already."

"And I can't believe you'll be hobbling in on that cane," Jim snorted. "Man-eating squid, giant radioactive maggots, aliens, vampires, demons, ancient monsters - and you fall off a horse that's standing still – and break your leg."

"I didn't break my leg," Wade reminded him. "Twisted my ankle when my foot caught in the stirrup."

"Whatever."

"Can someone help me with this tie?" Drakken demanded.

Nervous tension gnawed on Wade at the church. His mother tried to calm him down in vain. His father offered advice, "Run, while you still can! Oh, that's right... too late. Good luck, Son."

Seventeen times Wade asked Drakken, "Do you have the rings?"

After the seventeenth assurance Drakken stalked off to find someone capable of sane conversation.

Nerves and August heat added equally to the sweat drenching Wade's body as he and Drakken stood at the minister's left. He wondered if the suit should be dry cleaned or burned after the wedding.

_"What am I doing,"_ he wondered. He prided himself on being rational, using reason to determine the best course of action. Even the partnership with Drakken could be explained as rational. Love? Was there a greater irrational force in the world? Science offered no explanation. Poets, philosophers, and song writers had tried for centuries – and failed.

Bego entered and came slowly down the aisle. Joss had picked a color for the bride's maid dress that complimented her robot sister's blue skin. She smiled at Wade and gave him a 'thumbs up' that brought subdued laughter from those in the congregation who also saw it.

The organist turned a page of sheet music and began the Wedding March from Lohengrin. Everyone stood and turned to face the back of the sanctuary.

Drakken, noticing the sweat dripping off Wade, patted the younger man on the back and whispered, "Relax." His timely intervention kept Wade from bolting from the church, screaming.

The door at the back opened and Joss came in on her father's arm. If Wade had looked at Slim he might have noticed he looked equally uncomfortable in the unfamiliar suit and tie. But he didn't look at Slim. Joss was all he could see. In years of knowing her she had never looked happier, or more beautiful in his eyes. Happy, to be marrying him. He made an inward promise to never cause her pain again for any reason.

Father and daughter reached the altar and the pastor asked, "Who gives this woman to be married?"

Slim looked at Wade, and ad-libbed, "I'll arm wrestle you for her."


	7. Justine Asks Felix

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. All registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

**Justine Asks Felix**

Felix parked his van in front of Tim and Erin Possible's home. "Next car, I drive like a normal person and won't need a vehicle with hand controls."

"You're repeating yourself," Justine told him.

"No, reminding myself. I've sworn a great oath... Of course it may be another year until the legs are ready."

"While you pick out the model and color I'll get Francis."

"How was dance class?" Erin asked when she opened the door.

"We're both improving each week. I hope Francis was no problem."

"Francis is never a problem. He and Cat play cards or some board game. Honestly, we love having him. I think he sees Cat as his little sister." Erin turned and called, "Francis, your mother is here." Had it been Kim retrieving Jane, or Joss reclaiming Junior it would have been 'your mom', but there was something about Justine which made 'mother' seem appropriate.

Francis ran out and jumped into the back seat.

"Buckled up, Champ?" Felix demanded before putting the van in gear.

"You bet, Dad."

While Felix read a bedtime story to Francis, Justine prepared two Tom Collins – heavy on the lemon juice and simple syrup, light on the gin – and poured pretzel chips into a bowl, then took everything to the living room and turned on the news.

"Long day," Felix groaned as he sank onto the couch beside his wife. He took a sip from an icy glass, "but dance lessons with you are great. At least I don't feel like I'm using you for a cane any more while we're there."

"I never mind your arms around me."

"Well I mind not getting strong as fast as..." He stopped and laughed at himself. "What an idiot! A couple years ago I figured I'd be in a wheelchair for life. Now I'm griping that I can't run or dance as well as I'd like. I need to work on gratitude, appreciating the good things I have." He held up the glass, "Like this drink, and the wonderful woman who made it." He leaned over and gave his wife a kiss.

"Thanks."

"No need to... Another anxiety attack?"

"Yes."

"Come on, Justine. You are super-capable."

"I'm capable in the lab. Outside the lab I'm socially backward."

"No you're not. We aren't be the most sophisticated couple in the world, but we're not backward."

"I said I, not we."

"We are a couple, and don't you forget it."

"I'm ugly."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't know who you see in the mirror, but I see a beautiful woman when I look at you."

"Liar," she smiled.

"God's own truth," he told her seriously.

"I'm a terrible mother."

"No you're not."

"You're not going to say I'm a good mother."

Felix hesitated. "Given the way you were raised, more of a lab experiment than a child, you do very well."

"But you're too honest to say I'm a good mother."

"I try to be honest in everything I say to you. You're not a bad mother. You try. I'm so grateful we even have a son – I know you did that for me. I love you so much it hurts me to see you down on yourself."

"Why do you love me? Because we have a son?"

"If you recall I fell in love with you years before we had Francis."

"Why? You're warm and caring, with a great sense of humor. Everyone who knows you is your friend. How could you fall in love with me?"

"You know why."

"Tell me again. It's one of those nights when I need to hear it."

"It's because you're not Kim Possible. And most of the world is Kim Possible. All she saw when she met me was the wheelchair. She reacted more to it than to me as a person. You are Ron Stoppable, you–"

"I always have trouble accepting that as a compliment."

"Well you know it is. He didn't let the wheelchair define me. We shot hoops, played video games, or just hung out. You didn't see my wheelchair–"

"Of course I saw the wheelchair."

"If you were any more literal you could be a Baptist."

"Low blow, Mr. Renton."

"You know what I mean, Mrs. Renton." He gently tapped her forehead, "For you, what matters is the mind. You didn't see anything wrong with me, 'cause you were judging me on my brain." He kissed her again, "And what is my next line?"

"That after you got to know me, under my cool analytical exterior..."

"There was a warm, caring woman. The end. With the footnote that she needs to have more faith in herself outside the lab. She is a good friend, a wonderful wife, and does a surprisingly good job with the mother bit considering her lack of a good role model. Which is why tomorrow, after work, you're finding something old in the closet and coming out to shoot hoops in the driveway with Francis and me."

"I can't shoot a basketball."

"Yes you can!"

"No, I–"

"You can't do it well, but you can do it. I think part of the problem is you have to be perfect at something, or you feel like a failure. It's okay to be less than perfect. It's okay to do something just for fun. So you'll just be out having fun with your husband and son, and we'll go out for pizza afterward."

"Double pepperoni?"

"For you, my love, anything. Even if it gives me heartburn."


	8. Josh Asks Tara

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

**Josh Asks Tara**

Tara awoke after two a.m. to find Josh was not in bed. She lay awake, straining for any sounds indicating he was home. _"Maybe he's in the kitchen, having a snack,"_ she prayed.

A light from the kitchen gave her hope as she went downstairs, but the kitchen was empty – the light on over the sink. She worried he had gone out, then noticed a crack of light under the basement door. She frowned slightly, it seemed an odd time for Josh to be in his studio. Half-fearful, in case there was some other reason, she opened the basement door and softly called, "Josh?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"I wondered why you weren't in bed," she said, going down the stairs.

Dressed in pajamas he sat on a high wooden stool in front of a large canvas. The back of the painting faced Tara. His wife moved towards him, and Josh guessed the reason, "I wish you wouldn't look," he requested.

"Why?" His reluctance made her more curious. She feared it was a woman Josh was having an affair with.

"It's not finished. I'm having trouble with the eyes."

"I'd like to see it," she told him and moved behind him to view the work. She stopped, in shock. She was the subject of the painting. "It's beautiful," Tara whispered.

"No, it's not," he contradicted her, "the eyes are wrong."

She placed her hands on his shoulders. "No, you're wrong. It's... I'm not that beautiful."

"I can't put your beauty into paint. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. Your eyes... I'm just not happy... I've been working on this, but I just can't get the eyes right." He took her right hand and brought her wrist to his lips, giving her wrist a slow, sensuous kiss.

Despite all he had done through the years, Josh's touch still thrilled her. Tara shivered slightly as his lips caressed her wrist. "I wish I was that beautiful..."

He stopped kissing her wrist, but still held her hand. "You are." There was a moment of silence as they each looked at the painting, one seeing only the good points and the other seeing only the flaws. "Why do you put up with me?" he asked sadly.

"Because I love you."

"Why? I'm a lousy husband. I don't deserve you. I just can't stop... can't stop..."

She wasn't sure if he would have said 'cheating' or 'affairs'. "You need help, Josh."

"I don't need help. I just did need to stop. I don't know why I... No more. Never again."

Tara had heard it before, far too often. "There's no shame in asking for help. At first... At first I thought I wasn't a good enough wife for you, that was what made you want other women."

"Don't ever say that," he warned her sternly. "Don't ever say that." He kissed her wrist reverently. "You are the most wonderful woman in the world to put up with me."

Tara said nothing. He needed help. She had seen a counselor. It had helped her. The therapist had mentioned various things could drive some people to seek affairs outside marriage. There was something called a Lothario complex. There were other possibilities. Without talking with Josh the counselor wouldn't try to pin it down. She hugged him, "Our wedding vows were 'for better or for worse', and 'in sicknesses and in health'."

"They also included something about 'forsaking all others', but I've failed on that. But I will change."

In Tara's mind it was a sickness. If Josh were suffering from cancer or some disease her friends would not be whispering to her that she ought to leave him. They wouldn't be telling her, for her own good – or in case she was ignorant, what was happening. There an old joke asked 'how many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?' 'One, but the light bulb must really want to change.' It wasn't funny, not to Tara.

"I've always been so careful," he said in a voice somewhere between defensive and apologetic, "if... If I gave you something I think I'd kill myself."

"I don't know what good that was do Jason and Jessica," she tried to answer in a light tone. The counselor had made her answer the question whether she would rather stay, knowing of Josh's affairs, or leave. A streak of pride told her to leave – she did not deserve a husband who cheated on her. One part of her argued that leaving might force Josh to seek the professional help he needed. But she had vowed to stay with him, in good times and in bad, and told the therapist, "I need to stay with him."

"You'll see," Josh promised. "I'll never cheat on you again."

She wished she could believe him, but she had heard the promise too often. Perhaps his ego demanded the reassurance of knowing he was attractive to other women. Perhaps... Tara wasn't a trained therapist. She didn't know what was going on in his mind, what compelled him to seek out affairs with other women. She worried what would happen when he began to fail regularly, when women didn't respond to his flattery. Would he finally seek help? Would he plunge into depression? She kept her arms around him as they both stared at the unfinished portrait for a few minutes longer. "And that's really how you see me?"

"I told you, I'm not happy with the eyes."

"It's beautiful."

"No, you are."


	9. Ron Asks Bonnie

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

**Ron Asks Bonnie**

"Know what I like best about weekends?" Ron asked his wife.

"Same thing everyone else likes? Not going to work and sleeping late?"

"Oh... You've heard that one before?"

"Not since last Saturday morning." She snuggled up beside him in the bed and he put an arm around her.

"Bonnie?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you love me?"

"What makes you think I love you."

"C'mon, You asked me the other day, and I gave you an answer."

"The answer you gave was that you love my boobs and butt. Really? That's the only reason you love me?"

"You know I was kidding. I... are boobs and butt reason or reasons? Anyway, the point is I'd love you even if you weren't incredibly sexy, it's like extra bonus on top. Would you rather I didn't think you were sexy?"

"Well, no," she admitted.

"So, the other day you asked how I fell in love with you, even though you weren't very nice to me in high school."

"I may have said I was a bitch."

"I'm pretty sure you didn't."

"Um, I'm not sure. It would have been accurate though."

"The answer was that I found out that under your tough attitude you're sweet and wonderful."

"Quivering mass of insecurity might have been more accurate."

"Nah. You've got guts, you fight for what you believe. So, when did you start to change your mind about me? When did I go from class clown in your eyes to stud muffin?"

"Stud muffin? Please tell me you didn't say stud muffin."

"Incredibly gorgeous hunk, whatever."

"You got over that case of low self-esteem you claim you had pretty well."

"Seriously, how did I get from number two on your despised list to here in bed with you now?"

Bonnie sighed. "Not sure if you were number two or number one on my shit list. I needed to be top of the food chain to prove I was somebody. Kim could beat me at things, and I resented that. But Kim pretty much accepted the food chain. You were worse. You rejected the food chain. You did what you wanted and didn't give a damn how you were dressed or what movies you watched. That made you more dangerous."

"Me? Dangerous"

"Absolutely. The food chain power gets power by people accepting it. What's that word from sociology class? Legitimacy. If we all accept something's important it's legit. But you were an anarchist, you refused to conform. You threatened the foundation of my beliefs. If others followed you the food chain would crash and I'd be nobody. Ron Stoppable, high school anarchist."

"You said I was childish."

"Childish or mature... In some ways they're the same. You didn't worry about peer pressure, you did what made you happy."

Ron chuckled, "Guess I was marching to a different drummer."

"Drummer hell. You had your own twelve piece marching band - complete with bagpipes, ukulele, tuba, and three kazoos."

"So, I take it you didn't start to fall in love with me in high school."

"True... Although there were times I admired you. If you try and use the food chain to get ahead sometimes you end up its slave. You were free to be yourself."

"So, when did you start to seeing me differently?"

"Duh, college of course. Freshman year was... I'm pretty sure Kim and I both thought God was really pissed off with us for us to end up in the same dorm room."

"Or Fate. God plays favorites, Fate doesn't."

"Anyway, seeing how you were there for her, always had her back, I started to want someone like you in my life – not you necessarily – someone I could count on, who'd have my back. Then sophomore year, when we all moved into the big house I... Oh, I remember something from high school."

"What?"

"When I found out about your cooking."

"You started to fall in love with me then?"

"No, but I thought 'Someday he'll make someone a wonderful wife'."

"Hey, I don't have to stay in bed to be insulted. I could go in to work."

"Closed on Saturday, remember."

"Oh, yeah," he pulled her to him and gave Bonnie a kiss. "So I'll stay here and be insulted."

"Sophomore year... You were such a friend I started seeing you in a whole new way. I started falling for you, hard. And then... Why didn't you talk about Yori?"

"She just didn't come up. We all had classes. Kim had the twins. I didn't think it was anyone's business."

"And when she told you she was marrying Hiro it pretty much left you a basket case for junior year."

"I really needed you that year. You really helped me by being a friend."

"Yeah, maybe. It took me a couple months before I would talk to you again. Then, senior year... That was awful."

"You were dating different guys."

"Well duh, I figured you were still stuck on Yori, and I was trying not to fall for you."

"Well I was falling in love with you!"

"Yeah, but you kept dating other girls."

"Only because you were dating other guys! That was when I got so jealous about Alan."

"All I can say is, it's a good thing you admitted you loved me before I got on the plane. Knowing you loved me... It helped me, gave me an anchor when I first got out here."

"And we'll live happily ever after?"

"That's my plan, but one question."

"What?"

"Why did it take you so long to buy the engagement ring?"


	10. Will Asks Monique

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Setting: The Sunday after chapter 2.

**Will Asks Monique**

The piano recital for Will's niece was not simply a piano recital for his niece. It was a recital and concert for all of the five to ten-year-olds in the conservatory where Will's sister and brother-in-law had enrolled their daughter.

The performances were, with a few notable exceptions, exactly what one would expect of young beginning musicians of average talent – dreadful to anyone but the close relatives of the particular performer. Alexis, alas, was not one of the brilliant exceptions, but Will and Monique thought she was above the class average as they wildly applauded at the end of her solo performance.

Monique leaned over and whispered in her husband's ear, "Should we send our boys for music lessons?"

The performer who followed Alexis was a nine-year-old whose clarinet produced more squeaks than musical notes. "We will consider it," he responded.

The pastries, cake, and punch served at the informal reception following the recital reflected the amount of tuition that parents paid to send their children to the conservatory. As parents and children began to trickle out the four Barrington and Du children approached Monique and Will.

"Can you come over to our house?" Andrew, the oldest, asked. "Grandma and Grandpa will be there."

"Andrew has a new video game I want to play," Louis explained.

"Please?" Alexis begged. Her older brother tended to ignore her, but she liked playing with her cousin, David.

"Aunt Barb has a new car. Can we ride with them?" David requested.

Will chuckled, "Only if it is acceptable to your Aunt Barbara."

Will's sister didn't mind taking all four children. Will used the drive for conversation with Monique. "I found something you said the other day deeply troubling."

"Sorry. What did I say that bothered you?"

"We were talking about our financial security, and you kept referring to _my_ money, the money _I_ had."

"Well I didn't bring any cash to the marriage."

"We're married. Common property. What's mine is ours. When you talk about my money, not our money, it sounds like you are questioning our marriage."

"That's not what I meant... There're reasons I don't like saying our money."

"Could you explain one or two of them to me, please? It disturbed me, but I'll try and be sensitive to your feelings on the matter."

"Love you, Sherlock. I'd give you a big kiss if you weren't driving–"

"Can I have a rain check until Barbara's?"

She laughed, "Sure. Okay, one thing is I'm just not used to the idea of inheriting a ton of money. The Grants always worked hard for everything we had. Being born into a rich family just–"

"We're not that wealthy!"

"Rich enough it feels weird to me... I think the big reason I don't want to say 'our money'... You do know most of your relatives think I married you for your money."

"I don't think that's–"

"Will!"

"Maybe some, I don't think it's most."

"Probably most. I'm not sure how many would admit it. That was Barb's worry when she met me."

"Barbara?"

"Yep. She was going to hire a detective to do a background check on me."

"I can't believe Barbara would do such a thing."

"Oh, she didn't. But she told me she considered it at first. I like your sister. We try and be honest with each other. I may be more honest with her than I am with you."

"But I'm your husband!"

"Trust me, some things a husband shouldn't know. Anyway, ask Barb if you don't believe it. She hears the family gossip, always stands up for us – tells doubters that we're outrageously happy together. We are outrageously happy together, right?"

"I am."

"Good, then we both are. But part of me wonders if, maybe, you sometimes worry I married you for your money. That's what I mean when I talk about 'your money' not 'our money'. I want you to know I married you because I love you, not to get my hands on your bank balance."

"Our bank balance."

"It bothers you?"

"Somewhat."

"Anyway we can work out a compromise here? How about when you say 'our money' I know it means you love me and see us together, as a couple. And when I say 'your money' you know it means I love you for yourself?"

"We can try."

Monique suddenly laughed, "You were worried about it too – the idea someone would fall in love with you just for your money."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you pretended not to have piles of it."

"I made no pretense. You simply assumed I was middle class, and I saw no reason to dissuade you from your assumption."

Monique thought for a minute, "Okay, maybe. You're almost as honest as your sister."

"Almost? I'm always honest!"

"Okay, tell me the truth – what's your opinion of Kim?"

"Ms Possible is... I would like to think I am tactful and polite in addition to being honest."

"Which is to say you want me to change the subject?"

"Affirmative. Can we return to why a wonderful woman like you fell in love with a stick in the mud like me?"

She laughed, "You just had some rough edges. They're coming off. You're respectful, polite, caring, and attentive. Sometimes you're insightful. Occasionally you're sensative. And you're never condescending and don't mansplain. And besides..."

"Besides?"

"It's as easy to fall in love with a rich man as to fall in love with a poor guy."


	11. Kim Asks Shego

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**Kim Asks Shego**

"... by the power given me by the State I pronounce you married."

"Thanks, Leafy," Shego told the judge and gave Kim a quick kiss.

"That's Judge Forest when I'm acting in an official capacity," the judge reminded Shego. "And this is official."

"Sorry, your Honor," the green woman apologized. "Coming to the reception?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Kind of surprised you didn't have me perform the ceremony there."

"Nah, first one was the big to-do. Can we leave?"

"You can. Kim's mom and dad still need to sign the license as witnesses. Then we'll head over. The law wants every 't' crossed and every 'i' dotted."

"Go ahead," Anne told Kim and Shego. "We'll stop for the extra case of champagne on our way."

"Thanks mom," Kim replied and gave each parent a hug and kiss before leaving.

"Well, we're now legally married," Shego told Kim as they rode home.

"As contrasted with being illegally married?"

"We were married, the state just didn't recognize it. And now we tell the archbishop of Baltimore where to stick it."

"Shego!"

"Well we can. When same sex marriage was before the Supreme Court he claimed the State shouldn't define marriage. Apparently he flunked history."

"What are you talking about?"

"Beginning family law. In Western tradition the state historically defined marriage. No pagan temple, synagogue, or early church defined marriage, that was family custom and national law. The early church blessed marriages, but didn't marry people for almost a thousand years – the state defined marriage. Then, even later, they called marriage a sacrament and claimed they defined marriage – it was a medieval power grab by Popes. So the Pope redefined marriage."

"And our first wedding was a wedding, even though the state didn't recognize it?"

"Right. And it gets messier, with the Second Amendment separating church and state. There are religious weddings the state doesn't recognize, and state marriages that religious groups won't recognize. Divorce too."

"Zita?"

"Actually I'm thinking of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Some schmucks get a state divorce, and remarry, but won't give the ex-wife a religious divorce, so if she's religious she can't remarry – she's not considered divorced."

"Shego?"

"Yeah?"

"If the Methodists start recognizing same-sex marriage I want a third wedding."

"Third marriages never work out."

"We're already married, it would just be a third wedding. At my church."

"We'll wait for your denomination to okay it."

"You love me don't you?"

"Of course I do, Pumpkin."

"Then third wedding. Someday. Maybe... Hey, when you remember your past you ask why I love you. Why do you love me? You were a sophisticated woman of the world and I was a high school senior... Please don't tell me you have a thing for younger women."

"Sophisticated woman of the world? I was a crook."

"Older and wiser... I'll bet you knew what wine went with escargot."

"No wine with escargot."

"See, you knew that."

"A triple bourbon, on the rocks, and maybe I'll eat escargot. It's snails, Kim."

"I know that. And they're good, with melted butter, garlic, and crusty French bread."

"Earth to Pumpkin, melted butter, garlic, and crusty French bread are good all by themselves, you don't need the snails."

"I see you as the older woman, of refined tastes, who enjoys the finer things in life–"

"Like hiding out in poorly ventilated lairs with henchmen who had bad personal hygiene."

"I'm trying my best to paint you as a dashing, romantic character here. Work with me."

"Fine, I was debonaire – whatever that means – and so suave I could stand in the rain and stay dry–"

"I don't think that's what suave means."

"Work with me. I'll pretend I was sophisticated... What was the question again?"

"Why an experienced woman of the world could fall in love with a naive and innocent high school senior."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't start falling for you until you graduated. I do have my standards. Naive and innocent? Really?"

"I was."

"So you blame your kinky behavior on me?"

"I'm not kinky, just adventurous."

"Not kinky? Not even the trapeze?"

"That wasn't kinky. It was an experiment."

"It was a painful mistake."

"You don't know unless you try. Maybe we did it wrong."

"Did you ask anyone for instructions?"

"I didn't ask because what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own bedroom–"

"Or the attic, basement, garage, and kitchen."

"– is their own business. And you're still avoiding the question."

Shego was silent for a moment. "I love you so much it hurts. I'm scared when you go into work, afraid you'll be injured. I can't say how I fell for you. I sure as hell wasn't expecting it. You were an enemy, but you weren't afraid of me. I scared the crap out of a lot of people. You can't hold a conversation with a person who would rather run and hide than sit and talk. So I set you up, just for a little truce. You'd let me blow off some steam and that'd be the end of it. Didn't work like I expected."

"Or too well."

"Could be. It kind of escalated from enemies under a flag of truce, to friends, and then you started messing up my job description and I realized I had to chose – my old life or you. You gave me a new life, Kim."

"I didn't do that much."

"Yes, you did. You gave me back my life. I don't know how I could live without you now."

-The End-


End file.
